Tom Cruise: "I'll Never Forget The Moment I Became A Dad"

Tom Cruise flashes his famous smile on Esquire's June/July 'How To Be A Man' issue. The 47-year-old father of three opens up about coming to terms with his absentee father, the moment he became a father, and his sweet daughter Suri.

On his father: "I remember looking at my dad and wanting to understand him. I didn't want to just write the guy off. He was lost. He was overwhelmed by life ... My mother basically did all the work, and then they got separated and I didn't see him for a long time. He didn't try to help the family financially or spiritually, and I lived with the effects of the chaos."

On becoming a father: "I'll never forget the moment I became a dad. But it's hard to describe -- that level of responsibility, the desire to give such joy. The clarity: Nothing is more important than this. I remember that first night, just staring at Bella. I was checking her every second, just looking at her, feeling that immediate bond. I was probably looking at her so much that I was keeping her up.

On Suri: “It’s come full circle. Now I’ll put Suri on a swing and tell her stories when I’m working on a script. I’ll start with the beginning of the movie and take her through the story beat by beat. Of course, I make it age-appropriate. She’s four years old. But she asks all the right questions: Why does that happen? Those are the bad guys? You’re the good guy, right?”

Continue reading at Esquire...